Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez faces Amir Khan for the lineal middleweight title at Canelo’s made-up weight class of 155 pounds. The Cinco de Mayo matchup will be broadcasted by HBO PPV live from the brand new T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout’s original purpose was to help drum-up interest while building to a September PPV blockbuster on Mexican Independence weekend.
Now it looks as if fans will have to suffer through a marinating process that could last another year or two. The boxing faithful not only lose out on a super fight between Canelo and Gennady Golovkin. They also had to endure a Golovkin slaughter in yet another mismatch in a HBO main event that in hindsight was completely meaningless.
Oscar De La Hoya is trying his best to promote this fight to the point of no return, claiming Saturday’s tilt will do double the business Canelo/Cotto did. Khan has a name no doubt but his accomplishments at 147 or lack thereof, leave a lot to be desired. Many of the examples that Oscar and members of the press use to justify this as a matchup worthy of its 69.99 on HD price tag simply don’t ring true.
Oscar reminds everyone when he was a sizable favorite versus a smaller Manny Pacquiao, which obviously doesn’t hold up because of the weight restrictions on Oscar and Pacquiao’s resume being much stronger than Khan’s. Some have even brought Leonard vs. Hagler in to the fray which is completely ridiculous. Sure, Ray Leonard moved up to middleweight to face Hagler but that’s where the comparisons stop. Leonard was already a hall of famer and a proven legend at the weight classes below, while Khan has yet to face a true top contender at 147.
Chris Algieri represents the toughest challenge in the last four years and he went tooth-and-nail for all 12 rounds with Amir. Of course upsets do happen so let’s not count the Bolton native all the way out.
For all of the advantages Canelo holds over Amir, there’s a few key points that could make this mismatch on paper much closer in the squared circle on fight night. For one, everyone knows that speed kills something Khan has an abundance of along with quick feet. Those two factors could play a huge role in spoiling Golden Boy Promotions future plans for their young mega star.
Fact is Amir Khan is trouble for pretty much anyone when the action stays in the center, Mayweather not excluded. If the fight remains in the middle of the ring it will take Canelo a while to time Khan. And let’s be honest, Alvarez loves to fight in that same spot and is often mediocre to poor when cutting the ring off on a mover.
Lara, Trout, and Mayweather all have top of the line speed and the ability to fluster opponents from the outside.
The major difference is Lara and especially Mayweather, are light-years ahead of Khan defensively. Amir has fast footwork when jumping in and out on offense but is ineffective at times on the move defensively. Khan doesn’t set a lot of traps instead he just moves with little purpose or strategy. Amir will have to stay away from getting trapped on the ropes which forces him to use the full-of-holes ear-muff-style defense.
Size and reach shouldn’t be an issue for Khan. Canelo being the naturally heavy guy with punching power will likely decrease Khan’s already suspect punch-resistance. The only way this scribe sees a close fight is if Canelo sticks to his boxing skills instead of pushing forward behind the jab.
For all the negativity towards this HBO PPV main event in this article you would think Amir has zero chance for victory. Since joining forces with trainer Virgil Hunter not much has changed. The only thing that stands out is Amir’s patience after being hit clean. In the past he would try to get opponents back as quick as possible. Now you can see a calmer Khan in those situations.
For the first 4-6 rounds look for Khan to be ahead on the scorecard while Canelo adjusts to Amir’s speed with timing. If a jab and overhand rights worked well for Chris Algieri just imagine what the kid they call ‘cinnamon’ will do. Per-usual, Khan will get caught with something flush that will likely change the dynamics of the bout. From there, Canelo will systematically breakdown Khan to the body and head, finishing him in the late rounds.
My official prediction is Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez by 9th round stoppage.
Side Note: The HBO PPV features some good matchups that should give us some bang for are buck. Patrick Teixeira vs. Curtis Stevens could be an interesting style clash. David Lemieux returns to face Glen Tapia in a stay busy affair than will end in knockout. The most competitive bout on the broadcast should be Frankie Gomez taking a large step up in his often-troubled career against the underrated Mauricio Herrera. My Picks: Lemieux by KO, Gomez and Teixeira win on points.
Written by Chris Carlson Host of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on iTunes or at blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio
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